White Collar Review: "Burke's Seven"

After the fall finale, we were left wondering if the quirky and loveable Mozzie would survive the gunshot he sustained, and the writers wasted no time in relieving our fears, letting us know that he was, in fact, alive and in a medically-induced coma. I'm glad this was settled quickly, given how obvious the result seemed.

First, I loved the burned alias approach to capturing Larson. It was cool and clever and got the show off and running. Out of this, I liked most that the forging community was willing to aid Neal for Mozzie’s sake. It gave us a look into the other relationships involving Mozzie, something you may not have gotten a glimpse of under other circumstances.

Second, what makes a better opening episode than having one of your main characters accused of a crime he didn’t commit? White Collar did a good job of getting the audience emotionally involved in seeing Peter clear his name, and it did so in a way reminiscent of the Ocean’s trilogy or maybe an episode of Leverage.

I think it was about time they brought in Agent Jones on the music box investigation, and loved that Sara Ellis was featured as Mrs. Wellington. Wish I could have heard the prank call to Peter, though.

I also love whenever Elizabeth Burke gets in on her husband’s activities; that phone booth assist during the sting was priceless, definitely my favorite moment from her so far. I also really enjoyed seeing Peter on horseback, a rogue cowboy moment, which seemed complementary to Peter and his team working to lay down the law with the sting/con.

Another interesting point of this episode were the interactions between Sara and Neal. Is there something going on between those two? I realize that Neal is still reeling after Kate’s rather horrific death, but is there a possibility that Neal might have an option in Sara Ellis?

I kind of liked the possibility of Neal and Alex getting together if she ever decided to come out of hiding in Europe. But all good things come with time, whether Sara or Alex or somebody else. Moreover, I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out that Kate really isn’t dead. Think about it.

In the meantime, there is a new mystery on our hands: Who is Vincent Adler? There is always a man behind the man, but, really, who made Neal the man he is today? As hard as it is to remember, there was a time when Neal didn’t work with the FBI. I think this path for the second half of the season will prove interesting and insightful.

This show began with the introduction of this great love that Neal had for Kate and the quest to get her back. With that goal shifted to finding her killer, there seems to be a great opportunity to explore Neal’s motivations and personal development. There is still so much that we don’t know about our seemingly hopeless romantic, let’s hope this upcoming half of the season fills in those blanks.

On another high note: loved seeing Neal in a casual t-shirt. Not that there’s anything wrong with his well-fitting suits, but there’s nothing wrong with some casual attire every once in a while, either.